Hi Everyone,
I hope it is ok to post this here. If not please let me know and I won't do it again.
Here is a link to my recent indoor senior session. These are all unedited (no retouching or cropping). I'd like to get constructive comments good and bad. The lighting was a Elinchrom 500 in a 3x4' Photoflex Litedome Q9 as main and Elinchrom 500 with 30 degree spot grid as fill, single background light and kicker camer right for the 3/4 poses. For the floor poses the background light was removed. Of course the height and intensity of all lights was adjusted based on the pose. I was going to use a reflector card for fill but after a couple of shots I abandoned it because I was not getting enough light. I think the problem was that I was shooting in a room exposed to too much ambient light for the reflector card to have any affect.
http://www.gegjr.com/Portfolios/Portraits/Destiny/index.htm

Hi,

You have nice pictures. I think they could be better if you give more space to the background behind your model to soften the shadow.

Best

Robert

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Hi,

You have nice pictures. I think they could be better if you give more space to the background behind your model to soften the shadow.

Best

Robert
Hi Robert,
Thanks for the kind comment. Very astute of you to notice. I agree completely that I needed more background space. I typically setup in my living room which is about 3 or 4 feet longer than my dining room. I could only get 3 1/2' to 4' feet away from the backgound. My wife wouldn't let me use the living room that day because she was expecting company the next day and she knew I wouldn't have the equpment put away. Go figure .

STOP it George---you are bringing back nightmares of the days when I used to shoot in my parents basement! In all seriousness, even though it may be frustrating now, you are learning in the most difficult of all places--a small studio. It'll be a breeze when you move into a larger space if you master how to light in a small area. Unfortunately physics is against you in a small place--especially when shooting against a white backdrop. You simply don't have the room needed to light the white to go white [although the backdrop in the headshots look nice] and avoid flare in a small room. You've already mentioned the other problem...the shadows become apparent because you cannot light the backdrop. I understand. My sister and her new husband [20 years ago!] created a studio apartment in the basement by putting a piece of plasterboard over the opening that went from the foyer to the basement. Then I inherited the room for a photo studio. I cut a square out of the plasterboard and shot from the foyer down to the basement. I gained a few feet but made all of my models look squat and short because of the high camera angle!!!

Hang in there George. You are actually learning some great lessons. BTW, your senior looked like she had a blast!

StephenDantzig:
STOP it George---you are bringing back nightmares of the days when I used to shoot in my parents basement! In all seriousness, even though it may be frustrating now, you are learning in the most difficult of all places--a small studio. It'll be a breeze when you move into a larger space if you master how to light in a small area. Unfortunately physics is against you in a small place--especially when shooting against a white backdrop. You simply don't have the room needed to light the white to go white [although the backdrop in the headshots look nice] and avoid flare in a small room. You've already mentioned the other problem...the shadows become apparent because you cannot light the backdrop. I understand. My sister and her new husband [20 years ago!] created a studio apartment in the basement by putting a piece of plasterboard over the opening that went from the foyer to the basement. Then I inherited the room for a photo studio. I cut a square out of the plasterboard and shot from the foyer down to the basement. I gained a few feet but made all of my models look squat and short because of the high camera angle!!!

Hang in there George. You are actually learning some great lessons. BTW, your senior looked like she had a blast!
Steve,
Thanks for the words of encouragement and for what you didn't say. I think she enjoyed herself and she learned something, too. She aspires to be model, what girl at her age doesn't, and I spent all afternoon with her teaching her how to tell her good side. She even saw how one eye was not as open as the other and I showed her how to make it less noticeable. She may change here mind about being a model and become a photographer!! She didn't think she needed any makeup. I agreed that she does have beautiful skin but then I explained to her how makeup used properly enhances her beauty and helps hold down the specular highlights.

Good call on the make-up George. Lights can easily wash out a model's skin so the make-up helps to maintain and enhance the contours of her face...among other things!